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Joseph Burstyn (born Jossel Lejba Bursztyn; December 15, 1899 – November 29, 1953) was a Polish-American
film distributor A film distributor is a person responsible for the marketing of a film. The distribution company may be the same as, or different from, the production company. Distribution deals are an important part of financing a film. The distributor may set ...
who specialized in the commercial release of foreign-language and American
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
productions.


Life and career

Burstyn was born as Jossel Bursztyn to a Jewish family in Sokoły, Poland in 1899. On May 7, 1921, he arrived in the U.S. with his family, parents Pinches Herszko (a merchant; born 1871 to Chaim Wolf and Chaja z Wolfów-Pinchesów Bursztyn) and Gittel "Gitla" Rotbart, and siblings Chaim Kielman, Cypa, Berko, Joel Szloma and Bejla. The family settled in
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, where an aunt lived. His legal name was Joseph Burstein but he later spelled it Burstyn. He became a US citizen in 1934.''New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940'' He initially worked as a public relations representative for the
Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; na ...
circuit in New York City before becoming active in film distribution with business partner Arthur Mayer from the late 1930s to the late 1940s. His most famous releases include '' The Forgotten Village'' (1941) written by
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...
, the
Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...
classics ''
Rome, Open City ''Rome, Open City'' (), also released as ''Open City'', is a 1945 Italian Italian neorealism, neorealist war film, war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rom ...
'' (1945) and ''
Paisà ''Paisan'' () is a 1946 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. In six independent episodes, it tells of the Liberation of Italy by the Allied forces during the late stage of World War II. The film premiered at the Ve ...
'' (1946), '' The Quiet One'' (1948), the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated '' Little Fugitive'' (1953), and '' Fear and Desire'' (1953), the first feature film directed by
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
.“Burstyn, Film Man, Dies on Sea Flight”, ''New York Times'', November 30, 1953 (fee access required)
/ref>


Joseph Burstyn Inc. vs. Wilson

From 1951-53, Burstyn was at the center of '' Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson'', 343 U.S. 495 (1952), which resulted in a
landmark decision Landmark court decisions, in present-day common law legal systems, establish precedents that determine a significant new legal principle or concept, or otherwise substantially affect the interpretation of existing law. "Leading case" is commonly ...
by the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
which helped end
film censorship Film censorship is the censorship of motion pictures, either through the excising of certain frames or scenes, or outright banning of films in their entirety. Film censorship typically occurs as a result of political or moral objections to a fi ...
in New York. The court decision determined that certain provisions of the
New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
Education Law allowing a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be " sacrilegious", was a "restraint on
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
" and thereby a violation of the
First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
; in this case, the film in question was ''"The Miracle"'', directed by
Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...
, an Italian
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
that was part of the
anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...
'' Ways of Love'' (1950).


Death

Burstyn died in November 1953 of a
coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart ...
during a TWA flight from New York to Rome. He collapsed several hours after the plane took off from Gander, Newfoundland. He was dead when the plane landed at
Shannon Airport Shannon Airport () is an international airport located in County Clare in Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. With almost 2 million passengers in 2023, the airport is the third busiest ...
in Ireland.''Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835–1974''


Films distributed by Burstyn

Films distributed by Mayer and Burstyn (1933–48) *''
Bicycle Thieves ''Bicycle Thieves'' (), also known as ''The Bicycle Thief'', is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which h ...
'' (1948) *'' The Quiet One'' (1948) *''Lo Tafhidenu''/''The Illegals'' (1948) documentary in Hebrew directed by Meyer Levin *'' Paris 1900'' (1947) *''
Shakuntala Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play '' Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD ...
'' (1947) *'' Paisan'' (1946) *'' The Battle of the Rails'' (1946) *''
Rome, Open City ''Rome, Open City'' (), also released as ''Open City'', is a 1945 Italian Italian neorealism, neorealist war film, war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rom ...
'' (1945) *'' Marie-Louise'' (1944) *''Portrait of a Woman'' (1944) *'' Hymn of the Nations'' (1944) *'' The Forgotten Village'' (1941) *''Lights Out in Europe'' (1940) *'' Louise'' (1939) *''
Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...
'' (1939) *''
Katia Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya. Notable people with this name Actresses and models * Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress * Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant * Katia Winter (born 1983), Sw ...
'' (1938) *''Ballerina'' (1937) English title of ''Le morte du cygne'' *''La guerre des gosses'' (1937) French version of '' War of the Buttons'' directed by Jacques Daroy *'' Pépé le Moko'' (1937) *''
The Lower Depths ''The Lower Depths'' (, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. It became his first ma ...
'' (1936) * ''
Women's Club The club movement is an American women's social movement that started in the mid-19th century and spread throughout the United States. It established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While wome ...
'' (1936) *'' Die ewige Maske'' (1935) *'' Whirlpool of Desire'' (1935), French film ''Remous'' directed by Edmond T. Gréville *'' Song of the Streets'' (1933) Films distributed by Joseph Burstyn Inc. (1950-55) *'' Stella'' (1955) *''Romantic Youth'' (1954) *''Tanga-Tika'' (1953) *'' Little Fugitive'' (1953) *'' Fear and Desire'' (1953) *'' Umberto D.'' (1952) *''Savage Triangle'' (1951) English version of ''Le garcon sauvage'' *'' Miracle in Milan'' (1951) *'' Ways of Love'' (1950) *'' The Flowers of St. Francis'' (1950) *''
Side Street Story ''Side Street Story'' ( , meaning "Millionaire Naples") is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Eduardo De Filippo, who wrote upon which the film is based. It was entered into the 1951 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Naples, 1942. People are in ...
'' (1950) *'' Tomorrow Is Too Late'' (1950) *'' Justice Is Done'' (1950) *'' The Berliner'' (1948) *'' A Day in the Country'' (1936) 1950 US release *''Jofroi'' (1934) 1950 US re-release *''
À Nous la Liberté ''À nous la liberté'' (), sometimes written as ''À nous la liberté!'', (English: ''Freedom Forever'' or ''Freedom for Us'') is a 1931 Cinema of France, French Musical film, musical film directed by René Clair. With a score by Georges Auric ...
'' (1931) 1954 US re-release


References


Sources

* Wittern-Keller, Laura and Raymond J. Haberski, Jr. ''The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court''. University Press of Kansas, 2008.


External links

*
List of films distributed by Burstyn and Arthur Mayer at IMDBList of films distributed by Joseph Burstyn Inc. at IMDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burstyn, Joseph 1899 births 1953 deaths American activists American people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish emigrants to the United States Place of birth missing Film distributors (people) Deaths from coronary thrombosis